Meet Saroj Baniya: Empowering Young People to Lead Today

For Saroj Baniya, young people are not simply the leaders of tomorrow.

"They are innovators, entrepreneurs, peacebuilders, and decision-makers of today."

For more than sixteen years, Saroj has dedicated his career to creating opportunities that allow young people to discover their potential and become active contributors to society. Working at the intersection of youth leadership, technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and social innovation, he has helped thousands of young people across Nepal develop the confidence, skills, and networks needed to drive meaningful change.

His journey began long before he became a nationally recognized youth leader.

As a child, Saroj was actively involved in school clubs and community organizations, where he first discovered the power of volunteerism and civic engagement. Those early experiences inspired a lifelong belief that leadership is not defined by titles, but by a willingness to serve others and create opportunities for communities to grow.

That belief led him to establish the Nepal Youth Council (NYC) in 2012.

What started as a vision to strengthen youth participation has grown into one of Nepal's largest youth networks, with active engagement across all seven provinces and seventy-seven districts. Under Saroj's leadership, the organization has empowered more than 10,000 young people through leadership development, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, civic engagement, and personal development programmes.

By bringing together government institutions, United Nations agencies, educational organizations, civil society, and the private sector, the Nepal Youth Council has created platforms where young people are not only heard but are actively shaping solutions for their communities.

Saroj's commitment to youth leadership extends beyond Nepal.

As Team Leader of MasterPeace Nepal, he has played a key role in strengthening regional collaboration and peacebuilding across Asia. Nepal successfully hosted both the first and second MasterPeace Asian Youth Bootcamps under his leadership, welcoming young changemakers from more than fifteen countries to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and collaborate on issues ranging from peacebuilding and climate action to entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital transformation.

These experiences have reinforced his belief that while cultures and contexts may differ, young people everywhere share a common desire to create positive change within their communities.

One of Saroj's most significant contributions has been promoting youth participation in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Working alongside development partners, including UNDP, he led the nationwide SDGs Festival across all seven provinces of Nepal. The initiative empowered young people to identify local priorities and develop province-specific Youth Action Plans, which were formally presented to Provincial Governments and Provincial Planning Commissions. Through this work, he has consistently advocated for meaningful youth participation in public policy, local governance, climate action, innovation, and sustainable development.

His commitment to creating impact also extends into the digital world.

With over sixteen years of professional experience in digital marketing, strategic communications, business development, and digital transformation, Saroj has supported businesses, startups, development organizations, and nonprofits in strengthening their digital presence and expanding their social impact. By combining technology with community development, he continues to demonstrate how digital innovation can become a powerful tool for sustainable change.

Saroj has also represented Nepal on international platforms, including the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum in New York and the UN Sendai Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan, ensuring that the voices, ideas, and aspirations of Nepali youth contribute to global conversations on development, resilience, and peace.

Alongside his work as a practitioner, he is also an author and mentor. Through his motivational book सम्भव छ (It Is Possible) and his upcoming publication Youth, Tech and Change, Saroj encourages young people to embrace leadership, innovation, and lifelong learning while believing in their own ability to create change.

The impact of his work is reflected not only in numbers but in the communities and young leaders it has inspired. More than 50,000 young people have participated directly in leadership and development initiatives, over 600,000 have been reached through campaigns and digital outreach, and hundreds of community, national, and international programmes have been implemented through partnerships that continue to strengthen Nepal's youth ecosystem.

Yet, beyond these achievements lies a simple philosophy.

Saroj believes that every young person deserves the opportunity, confidence, and platform to turn their ideas into action. By connecting grassroots communities with governments, development partners, businesses, and international networks, he continues to champion a future where young people are not waiting for change—they are leading it.

Through his work with the Nepal Youth Council, MasterPeace, and countless national and international initiatives, Saroj Baniya reminds us that empowering young people is one of the most powerful investments we can make in building peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable societies.

From Divided Communities to One Team: Ignace Harushimana’s MasterPeace Journey

For Ignace Harushimana, peace has never been just an idea—it has always been a mission.

As the Club Leader of MasterPeace Burundi – HAGURUKA, Ignace has spent years bringing people together through dialogue, education, and one of the world's most powerful universal languages: sport. His journey with MasterPeace began in 2018, but his commitment to building peaceful communities started long before.

What drew him to MasterPeace was simple.

"MasterPeace is a peace movement. Our organization also works for peace by using sport and young people as tools for dialogue, peace, and development. We shared the same vision."

Finding a Global Family

One of Ignace's first experiences with MasterPeace was meeting Club Leaders from different countries and exchanging ideas, experiences, and solutions for the challenges facing their communities.

Those early conversations showed him that peacebuilding is stronger when people work together across cultures and borders.

Over the years, he became actively involved in peacebuilding initiatives, education projects, capacity-building programs, and training workshops, continuously learning while helping others grow.

Throughout his journey, he found inspiration in many members of the MasterPeace family, especially Aart Bos and Raghda from MasterPeace Global, as well as Hamza and Maryam from MasterPeace Africa, whose leadership encouraged him to keep expanding his impact.

Learning That Peace Begins with Unity

When asked what MasterPeace has taught him, Ignace doesn't hesitate.

"Love, solidarity, unity, and sharing experiences."

Those values have shaped the way he approaches leadership and community development. Rather than seeing differences as barriers, he learned to see them as opportunities for dialogue and collaboration.

A defining moment came in 2024 during a MasterPeace gathering in Romania. Standing in front of fellow Club Leaders, Ignace presented the story of his Football for Peace project.

Sharing his experience with leaders from around the world filled him with pride and confidence.

"It was truly a moment of happiness and satisfaction."

Football Beyond the Game

Perhaps the greatest example of Ignace's impact is his Football for Peace initiative.

His community had experienced deep political and ethnic divisions that affected relationships between neighbors and families. Instead of allowing those divisions to continue, he used football as a bridge.

The project created spaces where people could meet, play together, and start conversations that had once seemed impossible.

Today, those same communities share more than a football field.

"They understood that the true path to living together is through dialogue. Now they play together and share many things together."

For Ignace, sport became much more than competition—it became a tool for reconciliation, trust, and lasting peace.

Growing as a Leader

MasterPeace has also transformed Ignace personally.

Through years of exchanges, trainings, and international experiences, he developed stronger leadership skills, gained new knowledge in peacebuilding and education, and increased his confidence as a community leader.

He now shares those experiences by organizing training workshops across different communities in Burundi, helping others build the skills needed to become changemakers themselves.

"The experience I gained in leadership, peacebuilding, education, and capacity-building through MasterPeace has influenced my entire community through the trainings I provide."

One Family Across Borders

When Ignace thinks about MasterPeace, one phrase comes to mind:

"We are one family."

That feeling extends beyond projects and events. During his visit to Romania, he formed a friendship he still treasures today with fellow MasterPeace member Bob from Poland.

Bob stayed close throughout the visit, generously helping Ignace during his stay and making him feel welcomed far from home.

For Ignace, this kindness reflects what makes the MasterPeace network unique: people from different countries becoming lifelong friends united by shared values.

A Message for Future Changemakers

After years of creating impact, Ignace believes MasterPeace offers more than programs or training.

It offers belonging.

He encourages anyone passionate about peace, dialogue, and development to become part of the network.

"MasterPeace is a united family for peace that creates many opportunities for development."

His own journey is proof that when people choose dialogue over division and collaboration over conflict, communities can change.

As Ignace says:

"I have succeeded in bringing together politically and ethnically divided communities through dialogue, using sport as a tool for peace and development."

His story reminds us that peace is not built overnight. It is built one conversation, one friendship, one community—and sometimes, one football match—at a time.

Every journey begins with a question.

For Santosh Bidari, Founder and Executive Director of Peace for People (P4P), that question emerged during his childhood in rural Nepal.

Growing up, reaching school meant long walks through hills and forests. Yet the distance was never the greatest challenge. Like many students of his generation, Santosh experienced an education system where success was measured by examinations, memorization, and the fear of making mistakes. Those early experiences left him wondering why education often created pressure instead of curiosity.

Outside the classroom, however, his village offered a different kind of education. It was a place where neighbours supported one another, communities worked together, and people understood the value of collective responsibility. As a teenager, Santosh and his friends organized sports competitions, repaired village pathways, cleaned public spaces, and hosted cultural programmes, not because they called it community development, but because they wanted to make their village a better place to live.

Those experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to community service.

After moving to Kathmandu to pursue higher education in Mass Communication and Journalism, Santosh volunteered with community organizations and spent time listening to children, parents, and teachers. He realized that for many young people, education was not simply about attending school. Poverty, limited opportunities, and social inequalities prevented countless children from reaching their full potential.

These experiences inspired him to establish Peace for People (P4P) in 2009.

Founded as a volunteer-led organization, Peace for People was built on a simple but powerful belief: every young person deserves an equal opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to society. Since its establishment, the organization has worked to empower rural and marginalized communities across Nepal through education, youth empowerment, equality, and environmental action.

Over the past fifteen years, Peace for People has grown into a respected grassroots organization, supporting thousands of children with educational opportunities, strengthening schools, promoting youth leadership, and working alongside local communities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. While its programmes have expanded, its mission has remained unchanged that is to create opportunities that enable people to transform their own lives and communities.

Santosh's journey took on an international dimension in 2010 when he became part of the MasterPeace network. Through international exchanges, leadership programmes, and peacebuilding initiatives, he connected with changemakers from around the world and discovered that, despite different cultures and contexts, communities everywhere share many of the same aspirations: to belong, to be heard, and to build a better future.

One of his most memorable experiences was organizing the MasterPeace Walk in Nepal, bringing together people from different countries to experience village life, cultural exchange, and community living. The experience reinforced his belief that peace is not simply something to discuss but is something people experience by living, learning, and working together.

This philosophy also inspired InnerVillage, a community-based initiative that welcomes people from around the world to experience rural Nepal through meaningful cultural exchange. More than a place to stay, InnerVillage offers visitors an opportunity to connect with local families, traditions, and everyday life, demonstrating how genuine human connection can build understanding across cultures.

Looking back, Santosh's journey has never been about building an organization alone. It has been about creating spaces where people can discover their potential, strengthen their communities, and work together for positive change.

His story reminds us that peace is not built through extraordinary moments alone. It grows through everyday actions and supporting a child to stay in school, empowering young people to lead, strengthening communities, and choosing collaboration over division.

Through Peace for People and his long-standing partnership with MasterPeace, Santosh Bidari continues to show that lasting change begins at the grassroots, where education, compassion, and community come together to create a more peaceful world.

Svetlana Kosenko didn't set out to join a movement. She set out to study, first Lithuanian Philology, then Applied Photography, then a teacher training programme in Denmark, the country that became her second home. Looking back, those paths might seem unrelated, but she sees the thread running through all of them: a curiosity about people, stories, creativity, and how we learn to connect with one another.

Today Svetlana works as an educator, and she's one of MasterPeace's members, officially part of the network since 2017, though her connection to the movement started even earlier.

"I have always been fascinated by how people grow, and how creativity, education, and dialogue can help us build more peaceful ways of living together."

Her first brush with MasterPeace wasn't at a peace conference. It was a small student fundraiser she ran with classmates for a tree-planting project in Guinea-Bissau, raising money for seeds and the local communities who'd care for them. Around the same time, she came across MasterPeace, then exploring early ideas for a Global Concert for Peace. The projects were different, but the spirit was the same: bring people together, create something positive.

That thread kept pulling her in. While studying in Denmark, she met the MasterPeace Club in Croatia and joined their Peace Concert in Ludbreg, where she watched people of different generations come together through art and dialogue and thought, simply, this is where I belong. After graduating, she co-founded MasterPeace Denmark with two friends, choosing Quality Education as their focus,  the foundation, they believed, that makes every other Sustainable Development Goal possible.

She still remembers her first MasterPeace Bootcamp clearly: a room full of people from different countries, full of ideas and a genuine belief that communities can make a difference, at a time when the world already felt heavy with conflict and division.

"It felt like finding a culture I wanted to be part of. Not because everyone thought the same, but because we shared a belief that positive change begins with people coming together, listening to one another, and taking action — however small it may seem."

From there came years of involvement — Walls of Connection, bringing young people, refugees, and local communities together through art and sport; educational work tied to the annual Peace and Justice Conference; and a growing conviction that peacebuilding and education were never really two separate things. In her own classroom, she tries to create spaces where creativity, courage, and a sense of belonging matter just as much as the subject being taught.

"Every lesson is also an opportunity to practice peace: learning how to listen, collaborate, navigate differences, and recognize the value in one another."

She'll tell you she wasn't inspired by one mentor, but by many, educators, artists, activists, and what she calls "hopeful romantics" from all over the world, united by a belief that dialogue and creativity matter. Her growth alongside them wasn't one defining moment so much as a gradual shift, classroom by classroom, conversation by conversation.

"I began to understand that every classroom, workshop, or conversation can become a place where peace is practiced through curiosity, creativity, dialogue, and belonging."

Her most honest story, though, isn't about a triumph. It's about a season of exhaustion, when MasterPeace Denmark sometimes felt like it was just her alone, as members came and went and the local club changed shape.

"Yet even then, I never felt that the ideas or the community had been abandoned. Instead, I was encouraged to remember what had already been created, reflect on the journey, and keep imagining what could come next. That, for me, is peace in practice."

What carried her through wasn't pressure to do more, it was a community that stayed connected, reminding her that belonging isn't measured by constant productivity, and that ideas sometimes just need time to grow. It's a lesson she now passes on to the people she teaches and works with.

Svetlana describes the wider MasterPeace network the way she might describe a forest: different countries, different professions, different lives, yet quietly connected underneath.

"I think of it like the roots of trees in a forest. Above the ground, every tree grows differently, but beneath the surface the roots are connected, quietly supporting the whole ecosystem. That is what the MasterPeace network feels like to me."

That sense of connection shows up in her work now in quiet ways, in safe spaces for hard questions, in curiosity replacing fear, in the belief that courage grows where people feel they belong.

When she describes MasterPeace to someone new, she keeps it simple: a global community of people who choose hope over helplessness, connected by a shared belief that creativity, dialogue, and small everyday actions can build a more peaceful world. And to anyone just starting their own journey with MasterPeace, her advice is just as simple.

"Stay curious. You don't have to say yes to everything. No one carries the movement alone, we each bring our own perspective, and together those different contributions create something much bigger than any individual project."

Asked for one line to sum it all up, Svetlana didn't hesitate:

"Every lesson, every conversation, every community is an opportunity to create a brave place."

MasterPeace Champions Edition celebrates the people who've grown alongside the movement, and helped it grow in return.